A lifestyle blog for the modern woman written by an Australian fashion accessories designer.

Tuesday, 04 May 2010

Something to make my husband laugh today - and I'm sure there are a lot of readers who would like one of these too - Day-Ruining Notepads.

Typographer and illustrator, Jessica Hische, has developed her own 'Business Solutions for Incredibly Annoying Clients' in the form of a notepad of invoices which require annoying clients to remit payment for things like comfort pizza, ibuprofen or 30 minutes of necessary therapeutic phone ranting to a friend. Basically, all the things you wish you could say and do to your client, but can't. Love it.

Monday, 03 May 2010

I believe that one of the secrets to holding a fantastic party is the attention to details. Its the little things that can make everything come together nicely. I found this round up of vintage coasters and hostess sets on etsy. Imagine if you were having a retro themed party or using a set of these to co-ordinate with your colour scheme. Cute.

These coasters would also make great gift tags by just punching a hole and writing your message on the back.

Friday, 30 April 2010

These crocheted beads are not only adorable but eco-friendly too. Based in Istanbul, Three Blue Bee's crochet beads are made by covering wooden beads with 100% bamboo yarn, which is softer than cotton. Such pretty colours too - I absolutely love those pink/yellow ones in the first picture. Shop here.

Wednesday, 28 April 2010

If you're looking for some unique gift ideas, Suck UK would be a great place to start. The design duo, Jude and Sam started by designing their own tricky products and now manufacture a selection of other designers' products along with their own, shipping them all over the world.

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

I'm very pleased to announce the opening of my new venture - Sweet Escape Craft! I decided a little while ago that while I love all the bits and pieces I have in my studio, there is just no possible way I can use it all (I'm kind of a buy first, work out what to make with it later, person). And then I felt a bit sad that there were all these beautiful supplies that weren't going to get used. So, here they are - filling my new etsy shop, Sweet Escape Craft.

So far I have added purse frames and bag handles, diy bangle and headband pieces, some unusual beads and the loveliest trims. In the future I'll be adding fabric and more vintage haberdashery. I'll also be selling patterns of some of my Jaime Beattie bags and patterns and kits for my soft toys.

To celebrate the opening of my new craft supply store, all orders until the end of May 2010 will receive a little sampler gift pack, containing vintage buttons, trims and other little bits and pieces. Shop here.

Friday, 23 April 2010

Did you ever think there would be a clock with a removable washable cover? The Gomitolo Clock by designers, Carlo & Benedetta Tamborini for Italian design firm, Diamantini & Domeniconi comes in a whopping 90cm diameter size. Its probably a good thing that it has a washable cover because I'm sure everyone would want to touch it. Available from nest.co.uk here.

Thursday, 22 April 2010

I was very excited to see my Make Hay tote bag in the latest issue of Real Living Magazine. Thanks RL! You can shop for Jaime Beattie shopper totes on my website and in my etsy shop. And, don't forget - all sales until the end of May 2010 will be donated to CF Australia. Buy one for Mother's Day and it will be like you're giving twice. :)

Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Today I'm loving this cardboard cubby house designed by Javier Mariscal for Magis. It comes with stickers so the child can personalise their Villa Julia play house and I'm guessing they could probably colour it in too. Cute idea for apartment dwelling families.

Monday, 19 April 2010

The 'Grace Kelly: Style Icon' exhibition opens this week at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. This very glamorous exhibition traces the evolution of her style from her days as one of Hollywoods most popular actresses in the 1950s and as Princess Grace of Monaco, and includes over 50 of Grace Kelly's outfits together with hats, jewellery and the original Hermès Kelly bag. What a must-see for fashion-lovers! The V&A Shop also has some lovely Grace Kelly style accessories so you can add some glamour to your life.

Monday, 12 April 2010

I seldom talk about private or family matters on Paisley St Claire but my family has recently been through something that I would like to share.

A couple of months ago, my 3 year old daughter displayed some quite disturbing symptoms that are not commonly seen in small children. Unfortunately, it turns out that the symptom is fairly common for suffers of Cystic Fibrosis. Alarm bells began ringing for us because CF is the incurable genetic disease which had claimed the lives of two of my husband's cousins. Cystic Fibrosis is a degenerative condition that affects many of the body’s systems, in particular, the body produces abnormally thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life threatening infection. The pancreas is also impaired, preventing the release of enzymes needed for the digestion of food. Suddenly we wondered whether my daughter's asthma was actually CF.

We waited for 2 weeks for my daughter to be able have a sweat test (CF sufferers have high levels of salt in their sweat) and another agonising week for the results. My heart broke the day the doctor told me that her test was positive. I knew there was still hope - they always use 2 sweat tests to confirm a positive diagnosis of CF. However, the realisation that if my little girl had this disease, she was really only expected to live until her 30s was truly devastating. From that moment my family's future became so uncertain. Everything else seemed so insignificant. As a mother, I struggled to understand what this would mean, what would I have to do to look after her? What would happen to her? At the same time, I was grateful that we might have 30 years with her when some parents don't even get that much time with their sick children.

We moved on to more tests - a genetic screening blood test to see if she carried any of the most common CF genes - the test covers about 90% of the gene mutations. Two weeks later the results showed that she did not have any of the common CF genes. This was a good result but still not conclusive. So then another sweat test. We spent the Easter break still wondering whether our daughter had this disease, everyday becoming more and more convinced that she did. And finally the news we had longed for - her second sweat test was negative. No Cystic Fibrosis.

My husband and I feel incredibly grateful and blessed that our daughter will be ok. Sadly, so many people are not so fortunate. I now know how it feels to face a future in which your child is likely to die early. For diseases like CF there is no cure (yet) but the advances in treatments mean that sufferers are able to live longer and longer. The only thing I can do to help is to donate money.

So, from today until the end of May 2010, I will be donating the total sales amount (excluding shipping) from all sales through my website and etsy store to CF Australia. If you have ever considered buying one of my accessories, now would be a great time or perhaps look up your local CF organisation and make a donation. In Australia, the annual national awareness day for CF, 65
Roses Day will fall on Friday 28 May 2010.

Visit these websites for more information about Cystic Fibrosis in Australia, United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand. In all of these countries, CF is one of the most common life-threatening, inherited diseases and yet most people know very little about it.

My sincere thanks to my family and dear friends who supported us through this difficult time.

Thursday, 25 March 2010

My favourite image of the week comes from the latest issue of Australian online magazine, Sesame. This amazing photo was taken by Thuy Vy and features The Australian Ballet's beautiful Juliet Bennett. Doesn't it make you wish you didn't give up those ballet lessons when you were a kid?

A little while ago I had the pleasure of (email) meeting Vanessa Adao, founder of the fabulous charitable organisation, Kindle My Heart. Read my blog post about it here. I have just completed an interview for Vanessa's beautiful blog A Casa Da Va. So if you're interested in finding out more about me, click here. Thanks Vanessa!

Tuesday, 23 March 2010

I was so happy to recently discover UK-based online boutique, Dolly Blake. The owner, Caroline Jones has curated a lovely selection of homewares, gifts and outdoor accessories mostly created by British independent designers. Everything is so charming and homely. Love it. Shop here.

Fabulous British accessory label, Radley, has just launched its first shoe collection. Staying true to its love of colour, quality craftsmanship and great design, the new collection fits right in with the existing bag collections. Its hard to pick a favourite but I really like the open toe pumps. Shop these styles: clockwise from top right: Beccles pumps, Sudbury ballet flats and Manningtree wedges.

Thursday, 18 March 2010

The lovely peeps at Night Owl Paper Goods have generously offered all Paisley St Claire readers 15% off all of their wooden journal and jotter for orders placed before March 25! Click here to view their selection of wooden journals and jotters and simply enter the coupon code "paisley” at check-out. Yay! Thanks Night Owl Paper Goods!